The Player. Part 8

JAMES A AIDAN F FLANAGAN had stolen his first kiss in third grade from a blue-eyed blonde who'd smiled with angelic wonder after his bold preemptive move-then immediately thereafter cold-c.o.c.ked him for his impertinence. His nose had bled for half an hour and his mother-probably the hardest working person he'd ever known-had had to leave her job and come to the school for a "meeting" on his behalf. had stolen his first kiss in third grade from a blue-eyed blonde who'd smiled with angelic wonder after his bold preemptive move-then immediately thereafter cold-c.o.c.ked him for his impertinence. His nose had bled for half an hour and his mother-probably the hardest working person he'd ever known-had had to leave her job and come to the school for a "meeting" on his behalf.

Jamie had learned two important lessons from that singularly defining experience.

One, never take anything without asking first.

And two, there was no action without consequence and sometimes those consequences weren't your own.

As a result of his stunt, his mother had had to pay for that thirty minutes of lost time with an extra s.h.i.+ft, or lose her job. Though his grandmother had insisted that he go to bed that night, Jamie hadn't slept, and when his mother's tired footsteps had brought her into his room later that evening and he'd felt her fingers brush his cheek and glimpsed her weary loving smile, his chest had ached with the weight of guilt.

Curiously, though tasting Audrey-savoring her sweet breath and the plum-soft texture of her lips-was one of the most phenomenal gut-wrenchingly perfect experiences of his life, that same weighty ball of guilt he'd noted at eight had taken up residence in his belly. The meaning was clear-he might not have taken her kiss without permission, but he had a grim suspicion that she'd be paying for the consequences of his actions.

A better man would stop now, wouldn't be dragging her closer to him, angling her head to more fully devour her. A better man would stop, or more importantly, would have never have started. And let's face it, a better man wouldn't have agreed to the Colonel's scheme at all, admiring the purpose but refusing to partic.i.p.ate.

But if being a better man meant he'd never feel these small hands pus.h.i.+ng into his hair, tasting the gentle pleasure of her breath, the silken slide of her tongue into his mouth, then Jamie would simply have to resign himself to being a self-serving b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Because he couldn't stop now if his life depended on it.

Unlike a lot of men who merely used kissing as a means to an end, Jamie had always enjoyed it. While he wouldn't go so far as to say that kissing was as good as s.e.x, he would say that it was second in line to the most personal...and telling. A guy could learn a lot about what sort of lover a woman would be by her kiss. In fact, a sorry kisser almost always resulted in a sorry lover.

It was no surprise then, given how potent his initial attraction and curiosity about Audrey had been, that the meeting of their mouths could be anything short of extraordinary.

And it was also no surprise that she was the single most talented kisser he'd ever had the pleasure of tangling tongues with. Kissing her was a full-body experience. He felt the effects of her lips in every cell in his being. His hands shook, his d.i.c.k throbbed, his belly inflated with what felt like fizzy air and the rest of him seemed to be melting. Her technique was flawless. She was ardent and energetic, sensual and sure.

But most importantly, she didn't try to pretend like she wasn't equally affected.

He could feel her beaded nipples through the flannel, raking against his chest. Flannel suddenly became his favorite fabric, Jamie decided as he slid a hand down her tiny back, then over her sweetly curved rump. She slithered and squirmed, positioning herself as closely to him as she possibly could. Her hands alternately kneaded his scalp and shaped his jaw, forcing him to accept her ministrations. Every mewl and sigh of pleasure echoed off his tongue and it took every iota of willpower he possessed to not topple her to the ground and bury himself inside her.

Just like their kiss, he knew it would be instinctively explosive.

Jamie wouldn't have thought a bolt of lightning could have startled them apart, but ironically, a single ring of his cell phone did.

Audrey stilled in his arms, then quietly stepped back. In a second, he watched the pa.s.sion fade from her gaze and a cloud of worry and regret take its place.

He inwardly swore, checked the display, then swore aloud when he recognized the caller.

Garrett.

The man clearly had some sort of psychic connection, Jamie thought, resisting the ridiculous urge to scan the tree line. "Flanagan," he finally answered, his voice a bit rusty to his own ears.

"Where's my granddaughter?"

Jamie's gaze slid to Audrey. "Standing right here," he replied. "Would you like to talk to her?"

"Now that was subtle, Flanagan," he said, annoyed.

"Sorry, sir," Jamie lied dutifully. "What can I do for you?"

An exasperated sigh hissed over the line. "I just wanted to check in and see how things were going. Are you making any progress yet?"

Oh, yeah, Jamie thought, his gaze sliding over Audrey's slightly swollen lips. He could say that. "Yes, sir. I'm enjoying myself," he said, opting to play along and keep up the ruse. In for a penny, in for a pound, he supposed.

Especially now.

"Excellent. Has she confided anything about Derrick yet? Told you that he's proposed?"

"No, sir. The weather's beautiful. We've been painting and I've-" Jamie smothered a chuckle. "I've made a couple of things for you." He aimed a smile at her and was relieved when a ghost of a grin caught her lips as well. "Audrey has kindly offered to have them framed and s.h.i.+pped to you."

"Well, just keep plugging along," Garrett told him. "You haven't been there a full twenty-four hours yet. Even with your legendary charm, I didn't expect her to fall at your feet."

How odd, Jamie thought, when just a second ago she'd been standing on them to get closer to his mouth. Somehow he didn't think Garrett would appreciate that little nugget of information, though, so he decided to keep it to himself.

"Right, sir."

"You've got to make this work, Flanagan," Garrett told him grimly. "Failure is not an option here. According to my sources, Derrick is so sure of Audrey's answer that he's already bought a ring and booked a venue." He growled low in throat. "The arrogant SOB."

Jamie silently concurred. He glanced at Audrey and tried to imagine her married to Derrick and discovered, quite disturbingly, that he couldn't imagine her married to anyone...but himself. Which was ridiculous when he had absolutely no intention of ever marrying anyone.

Period.

Furthermore, he'd just met her. Soul-soothing eyes and flaming attraction aside, thinking about any form of permanent attachment was extremely extremely premature. He was losing his mind, Jamie decided. She'd gotten him so d.a.m.ned hot she'd evidently rewired his brain. premature. He was losing his mind, Jamie decided. She'd gotten him so d.a.m.ned hot she'd evidently rewired his brain.

Garrett cleared his throat. "Do your job, Flanagan," he told him. "And don't forget my orders. On deck but never up to bat. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Jamie's conscience twinged. He pa.s.sed a hand over his face. "No, sir."

"Good," the Colonel groused. "I'm fond of you, Flanagan. I'd hate to have to kill you." With that, he disconnected.

Evidently unable to stand still, Audrey had gathered their watercolor gear while he'd been on the phone. She folded the final chair and added it to the stack. "Checking in on you, eh?" she asked, obviously going to pretend that their scorching kiss had never happened.

Up on him was more like, but Jamie merely nodded. "Yeah." on him was more like, but Jamie merely nodded. "Yeah."

Audrey hefted the bag onto her shoulder and frowned. "He's been acting weird lately," she said. A droll smile tugged at her lips. "He and Tewanda have spent entirely too much time on the phone for my comfort recently."

Jamie grabbed the remaining painting paraphernalia and fell in behind her as she made her way back up the hill. "Oh?"

"Yeah." She started to say something, but quickly changed her mind. She gave her head a small shake. "It's nothing, I'm sure." She shot him a smile. "I'm just being paranoid."

No, she wasn't, Jamie thought, feeling even more like a snake in the gra.s.s. She was reading everything correctly, but the signals just weren't clear enough for her to realize what was going on. G.o.d help Garrett-and himself-if she ever did did realize what they'd been up to. While Audrey might come across as easygoing and mild mannered, he had the distinct impression that she could very quickly unload...and hold a grudge. realize what they'd been up to. While Audrey might come across as easygoing and mild mannered, he had the distinct impression that she could very quickly unload...and hold a grudge.

She'd forgive the Colonel-he was her grandfather, after all, and had her best interests at heart-but she would never forgive him, Jamie realized.

She'd hate him.

And the kicker was...he'd deserve it.

8.

"DON'T BE GENTLE, CARLOS," Audrey said, sighing with pleasure as Unwind's resident ma.s.seur used his magic hands on her shoulders. The soothing sound of bubbling water and the pungent aroma of relaxing herb-scented candles wrapped around her senses. If she didn't have so much on her mind-namely a six and half foot Irish American with miracle lips and the best a.s.s she'd ever seen-she'd undoubtedly take a little catnap. As it was...

"Okay, then," he said, upping the pressure. "You asked for it. Geez, I haven't seen you this tense since that week we had the Slim-It-Up Diet group here."

"G.o.d, don't remind me," she groaned, her face pressed into the hole of the ma.s.sage table. "Those women were horrible." And that was an understatement. They'd driven Tewanda stark raving mad with their low-fat no-fat strictly-organic screw-it-where-the-h.e.l.l-are-the-candy-bars? screw-it-where-the-h.e.l.l-are-the-candy-bars? demands. demands.

Carlos clucked his tongue. "Hungry women are b.i.t.c.hes."

She grunted. "Hungry women are insane. They broke into the kitchen. Remember that?"

He chuckled, working on a particularly tense spot between her shoulder blades. "I'd forgotten about that," he mused aloud. "That diet was too stringent. No wonder they snapped." He sighed. "Everything in moderation, I always say."

Yeah, well, that only worked if you only liked things in moderation, Audrey thought, guiltily picturing the half-pound block of chocolate in her bedside drawer. No one ever wanted good stuff in moderation, and those who did were...boring, she decided. To her dismay, an image of Derrick leaped instantly to mind, bringing guilt right along with it. She determinedly pushed both away, unwilling to devote any brain-power to what she knew would be a sobering thought process.

Say what you wanted about those dieters, but at least they were pa.s.sionate. pa.s.sionate. They knew what they wanted and had the guts to go after it. What if Monet hadn't painted in excess? If Beethoven had only been moderately motivated to compose? What if she did exactly what she wanted and seduced the h.e.l.l out of Jamie Flanagan without the slightest notion of right, wrong and consequences? They knew what they wanted and had the guts to go after it. What if Monet hadn't painted in excess? If Beethoven had only been moderately motivated to compose? What if she did exactly what she wanted and seduced the h.e.l.l out of Jamie Flanagan without the slightest notion of right, wrong and consequences?

What if she threw every bit of good sense and caution to the wind and didn't consider the repercussions of her actions at all? As if there wasn't a Derrick? As if Jamie wasn't her grandfather's friend? What if she did exactly what those pa.s.sionate dieters had done and just said to h.e.l.l with all of it? She let go a whimper. Would that be so terribly wrong?

Carlos paused. "You say something?"

She blushed. "No."

She was in h.e.l.l, Audrey decided. And considering parts of her were still feverish and she'd left Jamie more than an hour ago, she imagined things were only going to get worse. Honestly, finis.h.i.+ng out the day with him after that meltdown of a kiss-h.e.l.l, she'd practically scaled his body, trying to get closer to him-had been sheer torture. Rather than dealing with the situation like an adult, she'd pretended like it had never happened. Pathetic? Juvenile? Cowardly? Yes...but she couldn't help it.

That timely call from her grandfather had been like a well-planned, well-aimed hose. Nothing could snuff out a blaze of l.u.s.t faster than a hefty dose of guilt, that was for d.a.m.ned sure. As a result of her grandfather's call, Audrey had forced herself to focus on helping Jamie, the real reason he was here, after all.

Granted it had been difficult-she couldn't look at his face without zeroing in on that mouth, particularly after what had happened down by the lake-but fortunately, the Lord had blessed her with a very stubborn nature. When she truly set her mind to something, she could typically make it work.

Besides, she was genuinely curious and, after glimpsing his pain, genuinely concerned. No doubt Jamie's special forces training had included how to handle an interrogation because every single time she'd attempted to bring the conversation back around to his military career, he'd shut down and charmingly changed the subject. At one point, he'd given her a probing gaze which led her to believe that he knew exactly what she was fis.h.i.+ng for, but wasn't going to be baited into giving it to her. While he hadn't overtly smirked at her, that's exactly what it had felt like.

Ordinarily she'd opt for the patient approach, but for whatever reason, she knew that wasn't going to work with him. Audrey frowned, considering. He was too controlled, too far into denial. In too much pain. No, patience definitely wasn't going to be the key in his case. It would take persistence. She'd simply have to keep asking questions, keep hammering away, adding to the pressure and he'd tell her to go to h.e.l.l.

Or he'd explode.

And who knew? Audrey thought with a silent chuckle. He might do both. But she wasn't going to stop until she got something from him. Whatever his problem, it was festering inside him and, whether he knew it or not-or wanted to or not-he needed to let it go. Did she expect him to forget his friend? No, of course not.

But Jamie's hurt went far deeper than typical grief and holding onto that pain was much more destructive than allowing himself to heal. He was punis.h.i.+ng himself, purposely, she suspected. Atonement for some sort of sin? Audrey wondered. Guilt? And if so, for what?

"Relax," Carlos chided.

Audrey frowned, unaware that she'd tensed back up. She took a deep breath, allowing her muscles to loosen once more. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Carlos's soft chuckle sounded in the relative silence. "No worries," he teased. "How can you expect the guests to adhere to our motto when the owner doesn't?"

A long futile sigh leaked out of her lungs. "The owner never does, otherwise people here wouldn't have 'no worries.'"

He tsked. "Now that doesn't sound fair."

Audrey felt her lids flutter shut and a small smile curled her lips. "Haven't you heard? Life's not fair."

Carlos slid his thumbs down her spine, his signature "ma.s.sage over" ending. "There you go, sweetheart. I hope you feel better."

Audrey gingerly levered herself into a sitting position. "I do, thanks," she said, pus.h.i.+ng her hair away from her face. She wrapped the sheet tighter around her body and slid off the table. The tile was cool beneath her bare feet.

"Man or money?"

She blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Carlos sent her a thoughtful glance. "When a woman is as tense as you are, it's either a man or it's money." He smiled and shrugged. "Since business is good, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it's a man." He paused. "And since I know you need me, I'm going to saw it off and say it's not Derrick."

Audrey considered feigning outrage, but couldn't summon the energy. What was the point? Carlos was right. She did did need him. He was a thirty-four-year-old Cuban American who was handsome enough to make her female clientele happy, but manly enough to put most of the men who came through camp at ease-and made some of the men who came through camp swoon. Frankly, Audrey had no idea whose team he batted for and she didn't care. He was charming, dependable and competent. Furthermore, he was a friend. need him. He was a thirty-four-year-old Cuban American who was handsome enough to make her female clientele happy, but manly enough to put most of the men who came through camp at ease-and made some of the men who came through camp swoon. Frankly, Audrey had no idea whose team he batted for and she didn't care. He was charming, dependable and competent. Furthermore, he was a friend.

"What makes you so sure that it's not Derrick?" Audrey asked, intrigued.

"In my line of work, there's tension...and then there's tension, tension," he told her, his lips twisting with knowing humor. "You've been seeing Derrick for more than a year, but in all that time you've never been wound so tight that a quick trip over a set of railroad tracks would set you off. Derrick doesn't have that-" his lips twitched "-effect on you." on you."

"Carlos!" Audrey admonished, feeling her face flame. Good grief. Was she that transparent? Did she have "I need an o.r.g.a.s.m from Jamie Flanagan" plastered on her forehead?

"Save that tone for Tewanda," he said, tossing a towel over his shoulder. "Denial's bad for your complexion. Are you drinking enough water? You look a little flushed."

"Shut up," Audrey replied, exasperated.

"Get laid," Carlos shot back, chuckling. "You know you want to."

"What I want to do and what I should do are two completely different things."

"Cop-out."

"It's not a cop-out," she said shrilly. "It's-" She gestured wildly, searching for the correct response. "It's being an adult."

He shrugged, unconcerned. "It's being a coward."

Sending Carlos an annoyed look, Audrey took a deep breath, counted to five, then let it go. She definitely needed to check on that death penalty thing because throttling her help was becoming an almost overwhelming temptation.

"I'm not afraid," she said, chewing the words lest her temper get the better of her. "I'm cautious. There's a difference."

"Cautious, eh?" he asked, seriously now, his gaze soft and somehow pitying. "And where's that gotten you?"

Audrey swallowed, recognizing the truth that lay unspoken between them. They both knew where being cautious had gotten her-with an arrogant egomaniac who didn't ignite any of her pa.s.sions and who planned to dump her at the end of the week if she refused to marry him. That's what being cautious had done for her. Audrey chuckled darkly, released a low sigh and dropped her head.

Carlos walked over, tilted her chin up and planted a sweet, friendly kiss on her forehead. The gesture made her eyes inexplicably water and a lump swell in her throat.

"Sorry to hold up a mirror, babe, but someone's gotta do it," he said. "You want him, take him," he urged. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Audrey laughed, shook her head at the futility of it all. "You hit the nail on the head, Carlos," she said with a melancholy smile. "That's what I'm afraid of." what I'm afraid of."